Sometime's it hurts in love and sometime's it lasts instead
by Faulty1
Summary: Callie Torres, daughter of Don Torres, is a force to be reckoned with. She is being groomed to take over her father's role but what happens when she meets the love of her life, 8 years after their college break up?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

The tubular weapon muffled the desperate pleas erupting from Piero.

'Are you attempting to justify your sin to me?' she asked, while simultaneously removing the revolver from Piero's mouth.

Callie's voice was calm - a stark contrast to the irritation and rage that was rapidly building up internally. However, she had years' of experience in masking her emotions just below the surface.

Given that Callie exuded an air of authority with her mere presence, there were rarely instances when her rage spilled over to unleash the infamous Torres temper.

How dare he lie to her when there is concrete proof that Piero stole from the family, Callie thought. Her right hand man, Sammy Alfonzo, obtained the information which he presented to Don Carlos and Callie the night before. Prior to this, during their weekly meetings with Don Carlos's accountant, it was identified that he was unable to reconcile a few million dollars of payments. The discrepancy is pocket change for the Torres family, however, it was the principle that mattered. Dishonesty and disloyalty from someone in the circle of the Don's trust was unforgivable.

In a desperate but feeble attempt to free himself from the rope which bound his body, Piero violently shook the rickety chair on which he was held hostage, to no avail. Making a noise would not help as they were in an abandoned warehouse, in the middle of nowhere, on land owned by the Torres family. Realising that there was no way he would get out of this alive, except through a miracle, Piero hung his head, accepting his ultimate fate. However, it was worth a try.

'Please… I did not steal the Don's money.. I swear..'

'LIES!' Callie spat.

If there is one thing that Callie Torres hated, it was dishonesty.

'Lie to me again and your death will be painfully agonising. Tell me the truth and -'

Callie was cut off by the sudden ringing of her mobile. Judging the caller by the personalised ringtone, Callie handed the revolver to Sammy to free her hand and take the call. Perhaps it was also an unconscious decision to physically distance herself from 'bad' things, whenever she spoke with her mother.

'Hi Mamma'

'Calliope, cena di fidanzamento di tuo cugino è questa sera. Non dimenticare'

(Calliope, your cousin's engagement dinner is tonight. Do not forget)

'Sì mamma, non ho dimenticato'

(Yes mother, I have not forgotten)

Callie lied. She had totally forgotten about the engagement dinner. The cousin in question was not particularly close to Callie and her sister, Aria. Callie did not like nor dislike her cousin, it was just that her engagement did not have any impact on Callie's life. However, this was her mother's niece and Callie would be present as this would make her mother happy.

Non fare tardi. Tuo padre sarà sconvolto.

(Do not be late, your father will be upset)

Before Callie could end the call, her eyes met Sammy's. A silent but effective conversation took place in those few seconds.

Callie ended the call, took a last look at Piero, turned and walked towards her Mercedes Benz E63 AMG. Settling into the backseat of the car, Callie glanced at her watch and noted that she will be a few minutes late for the engagement dinner.

As the driver backed out the pathway towards the exit, she heard the unmistakable sound of a single gunshot. Unfazed, Callie instructed her driver, 'Take me to the Gambino residence'.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

 **CALLIE'S POV**

 ** _Hello, its me_**

 ** _I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet…_**

Entering the Gambino mansion, I take a moment to appreciate the stunning architecture of this home. The interior is focused around a prominent central hallway, which flows into a large and winding staircase that leads to two further levels. The colours are warm and inviting and the heavy wooden doors give the house a homey feeling.

I walk further into the house and spot a familiar face. Walking through large casement doors which open onto the deck, I am greeted with my father's welcoming voice.

'Calliope, come over here. Come and greet your cousin Alessandra'

Daddy, or Don Torres as he is known to most, is a little over 60. It is a common misconception that Mafia bosses are unemotional and cold blooded. This is far from the truth. My father is family orientated, sensitive, loving, caring and kind.

However, when it comes to business, he rules with an iron fist. His business interests are vast, varying from loan sharking to gambling, but never drugs. In addition, he has a list of law enforcement personnel, lawyers and governors on his payroll. He is grooming me to takeover from him, something that I feel that I am ready for.

More than wanting to greet Alessandra, I want to convey the news of Piero's ending to my father, but the look in his eye indicates that business is not to be discussed tonight. So with reluctance, I immediately cap my thoughts and veer away from my father to my cousin.

Now I don't fancy myself a magician, however, passing my father and walking towards Alessandra, I almost feel like David Blane as I deftly use a sleight of hand trick to pass an envelope over to him.

Contained in the envelope with Torres signage is $100 000, a gift for the couple to be presented by the head of the house and a Don Torres tradition.

'Alessandra, it is good to see you. Congratulations.' I say as I embrace her.

'Callie, I am glad that you could make it' she smiles.

Alessandra is beautiful. Her sleek ebony black hair angled down to her jawline, shaping her face perfectly. With a saffron tinged complexion which perfectly complements her hazel brown eyes, she looked radiant. Her sharp features provide an insight into her personality - she is a sharp tounged, quick witted lawyer, who fights on the right side of the law. Well mostly. Sometimes she bends (but never breaks) the rules to accommodate the family's requests.

'Where is your fiancé? Surely it is not appropriate for her to be late for her own celebration!' my father comments

'Sorry Uncle, she should be here any minute. An emergency at work has kept her'

Curious, I ask 'What line of work is she in?'

Before Alessandra could respond, I feel an arm wrap around my waist. I turn into the embrace when I realise it is my sister, Aria. In the excitement of discussing Aria's impending birth to her first-born son, I completely forget Alessandra. It was excusable as she was whisked away by the photographer to take pictures with her immediate famiy.

Midst conversation, I stop listening to Aria as something else, a feeling? a sixth sense?, grabs my attention. It is a feeling that only uniquely presented itself whenever I was with a certain blonde. It was that of excitement, nervousness, joy, love, adoration and mostly, the feeling of home. The feeling of belonging.

Strange. Why should I get this feeling now? Why should I even get it at all.

It wasn't until my internal musings were interrupted by the clinking of a spoon against glass and I heard the words,

'Everyone, i know you have been patiently waiting… THIS is my fiance, Arizona Robbins'

I am shocked to the core.

 ** _To go over everything…_**

Noticing my pale complexion, Aria questions 'Are you alright?'

'Yes, just suddenly feeling nauseous'

I pick up my purse, about to excuse myself to go to the ladies when I notice that Alessandra is already doing the rounds with Arizona, deciding to start with the left of the room. As luck would have it, Arizona has not seen me but I am unable to escape. God, why does everyone need to be introduced to everyone.

I turn away and look out into the darkness from the deck. Feeling my escalating anxiety levels at the impending meeting, I steady myself and take a deep breath when I hear Alessandra say, '.. and this is my cousin Callie Torres'.

Involuntarily my eyes close, as if she should be the first thing I see. I turn and look into shocked cerulean eyes which I have longed to look into since 8 years ago.

There is a tumultuous explosion of emotion underneath the facade of cool, calm and collected. I move from love to sadness to anger.

I am sure that only Arizona is able to see the myriad of emotions - she could always read me like an open book.

Realising that neither of us said anything for too long, Arizona extends her hand and says with a somewhat shaky voice

'It is nice to meet you Callie', bringing my emotional rollercoaster to a screeching halt - because I decide to settle on one emotion - anger.

'You too' I respond curtly.

I take her hand in mine and feel the all too familiar jolt of energy between us. I look into Arizona's eyes and hop back onto the rollercoaster of a mixture of love and sadness.

Unshed tears well up but I will not shed a single tear in Arizona's presence.

Quickly, I let go of her hand and immediately excuse myself.

With a determined stride, I walk away from Arizona. My gaze is lowered the entire walk towards my destination. Once inside, I shut the bathroom door and slide to the floor…

and finally shed the unshed tears..

 ** _They say time's supposed to heal ya,_**

 ** _but I ain't done much healing._**


	3. Chapter 3

_Somebody asked if I knew you._

 _A million memories flashed through my mind but I just smiled and said.._

 _I used to._

—

 **Arizona's POV :**

 **Knew the signs,**

 **Wasn't right…**

If I told you that my heart was thinking of Calliope even before I walked into Alessandra's house, would you believe me?

Taking a seat at the table, I momentarily forget my thoughts when I am brought back to the present by the symphony of harmonious scents presented on the elegant table setting. Other than a snickers bar at lunch, I had not eaten as I had been pulled into an emergency surgery that took longer than anticipated. When I had arrived, I was starving but after seeing Callie, I lost all sense of appetite.

Alex re-takes her seat next to me and plants a tender kiss on my cheek. She had went to check with the chef if my favourite dish was prepared and ready.

'I love you' she whispers. She does not expect reciprocation of the sentiment and I don't reciprocate, but not for the reason Alex thinks. I am currently at war with my heart.

Alex is great. We had met at work. Being one of the directors on the board of the hospital at Seattle Grace, I am often in meetings with our legal department to ensure that all protocol is followed and to vote on the way forward whenever it came to malpractice suits.

Alex had fought and won a case of ours involving one of our top orthopaedic surgeons who was sued by a high profile patient for negligence. After a successful hip replacement, an infection on the patient's incision site caused clots in his legs, eventually leading to amputation. The reason for the infection was due to a sponge left in the patients body, a move that was deliberate by the surgeon as the patient quickly became unstable during surgery.

Post winning the case, Alex asked me out and 2 years later, here we are. I always considered our relationship to be easy.

But then there was Calliope…

What happened? you ask.

Well, I will let first let Callie tell your her side. Then I will tell you the truth.

 **I was stupied for a while…**

Have you ever wondered which hurts the most? Saying something and wishing you had not, or saying nothing, and wishing you had?

 _Flashback_

I storm into Callie's apartment, soaking wet from the torrential rains, somewhat mirroring my internal state. After the biggest fight of our short relationship, I broke up with Callie unable to bear the lack of trust in our relationship, aggravated by rumours of cheating.

Quickly realising that the rumours were untrue and I didn't want to live without Callie, even though I could, I walked into her apartment, gaining a little bit of satisfaction that it would drive the brunette insane that I was dripping water all over her expensive carpet.

'I lied! I'm not out of this relationship. I'm in. I am so in, it's humiliating because I am begging. Okay here it is. Your choice. It's simple. The other women or me. And I'm sure they're really great. But Calliope, I love you, in a really, really big - pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window - unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you.

So pick ME.

Choose ME.

Love ME'.

I wonder if not begging would have hurt less?

 **Swept away by you**

 **And now i feel like a fool…**

 **'** I want to marry you, I want to have kids with you. I want us to build a house. I want to settle down and grow old with you. I want to die when I am one hundred years old, in your arms. I don't want a girlfriend. I want a wife, a lifetime'.

Callie's proposal was mesmerising.

I chance a look at the brunette beauty but something else distracts me before I could look into her eyes. Around her neck is a simple, plain chain. Hanging from the chain is the engagement ring which she had given to me when she proposed..

 **So confused,**

 **My heart's bruised,**

 **Was i ever loved by you?**

Unable to bear staying at the table without my tears spilling over, I excuse myself and walk away from the table to the open deck for some fresh air. The night is cool and the chill in the air makes me shiver. I hear footsteps tap against the wooden deck. Turning around, expecting to see Alex, I am met instead with Callie. She is standing so close to me that I can feel her breath against mine. Had I been intoxicated, I would have given in but I walk away from her. Seeing my decision, she leans against the rail and looks at me, unsure if she should say what is on her mind.

'Arizona.. I love..'

'NO! You DON'T love me. You just didn't want to be alone. Or maybe, maybe I was just good for your ego. Or, or maybe I made you feel better about your miserable life, but you didn't love me. Because you don't destroy people you love' I tearfully respond.

'I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! YOU'VE ALWAYS ASSUMED THE WORST OF ME!' Callie screams.

Thankful that we are no where near the dinner table, I take a deep breath in to calm myself and squarely face Callie.

'You don't get to tell me that you didn't do anything. I thought I had found the person that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I was done. So all the flirting, the bars, the brother issues, who cared? Because I was done. YOU LEFT ME!'

'YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN! YOU ASSUMED A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS AND YOU JUST PACKED AND LEFT! Now I am in this Godforsaken house, celebrating this ridiculous engagement to my damn cousin!'

'YOU LEFT ME! YOU CHOSE DIFFERENTLY!' I yell. Taking a step back, I try to cool my temper.

'I'm all glued back together now. I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke. You don't get to tell me how to live my life'

'Arizona -'

What I am sure would have been a great spiel, is interrupted when we hear the footsteps of someone approaching.

'Love, are you okay?' Alex questions.

'Yes, just needed some fresh air' I respond. Callie pretends to not notice Alessandra, staring into the darkness, so I talk for the both of us.

'I will be there in a minute. Callie and I are just discussing some medical innovations' I lie.

Alex looks between me and Callie strangely, nods and walks back into the house. Great, something she will definitely want an explanation for later.

I turn my attention to Callie and carefully think about my next words.

'Callie - Hating you is the most exhausting thing and I don't want to do it anymore'.

Callie and I look at each other, with defeated looks. I turn away from her and walk towards the entrance leading to the house. Callie's voice stops me momentarily and I turn around to fully absorb her words.

'Arizona.. You deserve to be with somebody who makes you happy. Somebody who won't complicate your life. Somebody who won't hurt you. But, no matter what happens, no matter what you decide to do, I.. I am going to love you until the end of time'.

 **Out of reach, couldn't see**

 **We were never meant to be.**


End file.
